I rememer we got an M1 at school. It was like an alien landed. The sleek mysterious box, and the teacher able to play a whole band on his own. I was mesmerized. The sound may be dated by now, but the casing, built quality and finish are still unsurpassed. What a beauty!
I had a Roland D-10, and when looking for an upgrade, I noticed everyone was buying the M1. I had done some simple hacks to turn the D-10 into a song sequencer instead of drum pattern sequencer, so didn't need a workstation. I realised the M1's filter didn't have resonance, so I wasn't going to get one, it would have been a major regression in synthesis abilities. I went for the Kurzweil K2000 after I read the Electronic Musician review. Been with Kurzweil ever since, and now have a K2500XS with KDFX. It is the most powerful platform, with V.A.S.T. : Variable Architecture Synthesis Technology.
Cool demo. One thing to avoid like the plague in this era: the crash cymbal, unless you edit the sound, keep it at lower volume, and use it very sparingly ;)
Yeah, I actually like the crash better on the M1 than others I found, it was a long sample. But I did transpose it down a bit. I considered doing a video comparing the drum sounds.
These were the 3 rompler synths to own in 1989 and 1990. The M1 blew me away the first time I played it upon its release in 1988 with pianos, guitars, drums, strings, saves and trumpets that sounded like the real thing at the time! I was after a workstation keyboard and was very perturbed that the M1 didn't have a built in floppy disk drive unlike the Roland D20 and Ensoniq SQ80 at the time. The T series, which the M1REX is the rack version, had the floppy drive as well as double the waveform ROM, the larger display and sequencer memory at a much higher price. I owned a T3EX for over 25 years. I also checked out the SY77 but it's sequencer only allowing 1 song in memory at a time was a deal breaker for me, despite the fact that as a synth it is more flexible than the M1 and T series with its resonant digital filters and AFM/RCM synthesis. The SY99 fixed up the SY77's limitations with superior fx, multiple songs in memory, more waveform ROM etc but at a much higher price. I also looked at the D70 despite it not having a built in sequencer and whilst it sounded great, it's user interface was a nightmare to navigate with its different levels of programming. It's advanced LA synthesis was also more powerful than Korg's AI synthesis with digital resonant filters and up to 4 oscillators per patch but its fx were a big limitation despite them sounding good at the time. Ultimately, the Korg won out with all those fantastic factory programs and combis out of the box and a much more friendly user interface IMHO. Saying that, all 3 of these instruments have their own strengths and weaknesses but ultimately. It was Korg who had the biggest sway at the time with the improved 01W coming out in 1991 and Roland not really getting their next big thing out until the realise of their phenomenal JV1080 in 1994. Yamaha released the EX5 in 1998. It was a very powerful, awesome sounding instrumental let down by a terrible user interface that IMHO simply couldn't compete with the superior touch screen interfaces on the korg Trinity and Triton at the same time. You did a great job with the video and keep up the great work!
Great video showcasing my favorite era in synthesis! Now i need to start using my k1200 more those k series racks are pretty much a virtual modular system
Cool video! I like the Mr Clean guitar. Also, the "17 Organ2" patch at 6:45 was made famous by several early 90's house/dance hits such as "Gypsy Woman" by Crystal Waters. 🤘
And you will still see the M1 on stage to this day Latin bands use it all the time for its piano, sax and organ sounds Most merengue bands use it for its piano combined with the hand clap, kick and whip sounds in combi mode I don't see the other 2 on stage, as good as they are. I had the SY77 and loved it but technology replaced it
I worked in a music shop in the 80s and 90s. The M1 was very popular, Roland didn't make the D70 as a competitor to the M1. That was the Roland D20 that had 8 track sequencer and multi-tamberal with built in drum machine and effects. At the time, yamaha had the B200 and then the V50. Roland also had the W30 which was a sampler workstation.
The Roland D-70 is most usable nowadays from the mentioned synths, but unfortunately all D-70s break down, with the keys and buttons. The M-1 loses it on polyphony, piano and strings sounds and the lack of effect sends. The Yamaha loses it on its bad samples and that it doesn't have a combi mode where you can play more than one sound. The Kurzweil loses it on its too warm samples and that it doesn't have effects.
I was truly excited when the M1 came out, as it was such a different sound to what I had been used to (analogue!) BUT - upon reflection, this seems to be a time when (synth based) music was incredibly bland! I have little interest in later 80's or early 90's digital, and it's only the mid 90's Nord and Korg digital synths that started to sound interesting. For some reason, every synth manufacturer felt we needed trumpets and pick bass sounds!
Hmm. Nowadays, people would be tempted to substitute VSTs or newer instruments. The Roland is easily substituted with good D50 VST emulations and many of the famous patches are carried over into their newest gear. The M1 also has excellent VST and iPad emulations. The Kurzwel doesn't have any VSTs, although the later Kurzweils, up through the newest K2700 share many older samples. And the Yamaha SY77 doesn't have a VST either, but SY/TG77s are fairly cheap. And the Montage/MODX have the same AWM/FM architecture. On the song that you used, I think that the Kurzweil sounded best and the M1 worst, with the Roland and Yamaha in the middle. But most people use the D50 and M1 for specific 80's/90's sounds, so they won't care so much. If you want Digital Native Dance or Pizagogo, than you know what keyboard to use.
I'm not sure, but was that straight from the keyboards themselves, with all the drums inherent in them? Drums on SY77 are completely different from SY99. That guy has to clarify his vid.
All the keyboards were played with the same drum track from the Korg M1. I mentioned that I considering using the QY700 for the drums but I liked the kit I set up on the M1 better.
I have a D70 and the M1 is far superior. The D70 is way better than people thinks, they problem is the keybed. Just a month ago one key got stuck and this is 2024 already. I have been trough four D70s already and the keybed is a nightmare, no only the glue but the cables are so delicate when opening. It feels that someone in upper management at Roland hated this keyboard.
D70 was a flawed competitor for M1, SY77 was expensive and had fm synthesis the others didn't have, and K1000 was interesting but had no filters and didn't have K250 countored modeling. D70 and K1000 also didn't have sequencers. M1's secret weapon was combi mode. And I find it interesting the M1 drums are used here.
M1 is one of the greatest synth for digital pad sounds! M1 is not good in reproducing "real instruments" - but wonderful in making pads, atmos, cinema sounds...
Not really, the filter doesn't even have any resonance. I can build such a limited architecture inside of a Kurzweil K2000, and the K2000 will sound better. Then I can also use all sorts of resonant filters if I want to.
Asking if an instrument is overrated in a comparison with instruments that came out LATER is strange. When the M1 came out, it was a milestone. Also talking about the advantages of an unplayable Roland (because of bad building quality) is even funny. Instruments are like a wine. It is easy to find the bad ones. Everything else depends on individual taste and style.
The 1000PX was released at the same time as the M1. The M1 was in production from 1988 to 1995, so it was not strange to compare it to the D-70 and SY77 which came out in 1990. They were all available in music stores at the same time. The D-70 certainly did not have the red glue issue when it came out 30 years ago. Reliability is an other issue.
That's a very subjective opinion. I turned on my Kronos yesterday, it had a lot of glittery sounds but synth patches like bass didn't have the vintage quality that sits well in a mix.
@@thejollyjoker187 I never mentioned Moss, and don't think that much of it anyway. Sold my Z1 soon after getting it. The core sound of Trinity is better than Triton, IMO, and I see many people say that.
@@r0tekz Trinity carried something from the 80s in its core sound. Triton carried something from the 90s. It's really a matter of sonic flavor, but I also see many people prefer the Trinity. Not only friends or clients, but also renowned musicians.
@@thejollyjoker187 80's, LOL. The 1995 Trinity DEFINED the 90's sound, particularly with Drum and Bass. I have never heard anyone else say it is an 80's sounding synth. And the 1999 Triton can hardly be called the sound of the 90's.
lol dated? Are you for real? These synths were made in the late 80s. They are not dated they are classics and producers are still using its world famous piano, for dance and pop music.
@@kennyzee3221 I should explain “dated”. When I am doing complex tracks the M1 is my go to synth. I can find just about any sound there but what I can hear the age in the sample depth and the sound can lack body. I use GarageBand and if you listen to the quality of say the GB Rhodes against anything on the M1 and you hear what I mean but in a complex mix I cannot do without the M1 or the Wavestation.
@@lovemadeinjapan I know what people bought it for: the presets and the workstation abilities. BTW, I route my Kurzweil K2500 oscs into the 8 NJM2069 VCF + VCA sections of my hacked DW-8000 via a custom interface too :)
on the whole I sort of agree.. the problem was digital filters weren't quite happening and the sample based synths had very short samples... Pianos on these keyboards were always quite harsh in live situations... Hearing that M1 piano sample through a monitor could be torture... same with the EMu Proteus... I tended to try and make Rhodes-like sounds instead... I quite liked the Wavestation though that was 1990. But on the whole they don't lend themselves to modern production... we're in an amazing time atm...
I rememer we got an M1 at school. It was like an alien landed. The sleek mysterious box, and the teacher able to play a whole band on his own. I was mesmerized. The sound may be dated by now, but the casing, built quality and finish are still unsurpassed. What a beauty!
Korg M1 has a special place in my heart.
It maybe overrated, but many presets are iconic and still used to this day!
If the presets are iconic and still used to this day, then it's not overrated
I have both the M1 and SY77. IMO while the M1 had some nice exotic sounds, ultimately the better workstation and build is the SY77.
Yes, well said!
I actually like the SY99 a lot.. the key action is one of the best. I remember Chick Corea was in a lot of the old ads in Keyboard for it...
I had a Roland D-10, and when looking for an upgrade, I noticed everyone was buying the M1. I had done some simple hacks to turn the D-10 into a song sequencer instead of drum pattern sequencer, so didn't need a workstation. I realised the M1's filter didn't have resonance, so I wasn't going to get one, it would have been a major regression in synthesis abilities.
I went for the Kurzweil K2000 after I read the Electronic Musician review. Been with Kurzweil ever since, and now have a K2500XS with KDFX. It is the most powerful platform, with V.A.S.T. : Variable Architecture Synthesis Technology.
D-70 key was stuck? OMG that's unforgivable... Glad the M1 uses Yamaha premium keybed and still plays nice after 30 years.
This is a great and informative video! Well done! It's a fun topic of discussion with us middle-aged 80's synth-dads. :) Keep it up! Subbed!
Thanks!
Cool demo. One thing to avoid like the plague in this era: the crash cymbal, unless you edit the sound, keep it at lower volume, and use it very sparingly ;)
Yeah, I actually like the crash better on the M1 than others I found, it was a long sample. But I did transpose it down a bit. I considered doing a video comparing the drum sounds.
@@offthematrix5310 OK
These were the 3 rompler synths to own in 1989 and 1990. The M1 blew me away the first time I played it upon its release in 1988 with pianos, guitars, drums, strings, saves and trumpets that sounded like the real thing at the time! I was after a workstation keyboard and was very perturbed that the M1 didn't have a built in floppy disk drive unlike the Roland D20 and Ensoniq SQ80 at the time. The T series, which the M1REX is the rack version, had the floppy drive as well as double the waveform ROM, the larger display and sequencer memory at a much higher price. I owned a T3EX for over 25 years. I also checked out the SY77 but it's sequencer only allowing 1 song in memory at a time was a deal breaker for me, despite the fact that as a synth it is more flexible than the M1 and T series with its resonant digital filters and AFM/RCM synthesis. The SY99 fixed up the SY77's limitations with superior fx, multiple songs in memory, more waveform ROM etc but at a much higher price. I also looked at the D70 despite it not having a built in sequencer and whilst it sounded great, it's user interface was a nightmare to navigate with its different levels of programming. It's advanced LA synthesis was also more powerful than Korg's AI synthesis with digital resonant filters and up to 4 oscillators per patch but its fx were a big limitation despite them sounding good at the time. Ultimately, the Korg won out with all those fantastic factory programs and combis out of the box and a much more friendly user interface IMHO. Saying that, all 3 of these instruments have their own strengths and weaknesses but ultimately. It was Korg who had the biggest sway at the time with the improved 01W coming out in 1991 and Roland not really getting their next big thing out until the realise of their phenomenal JV1080 in 1994. Yamaha released the EX5 in 1998. It was a very powerful, awesome sounding instrumental let down by a terrible user interface that IMHO simply couldn't compete with the superior touch screen interfaces on the korg Trinity and Triton at the same time. You did a great job with the video and keep up the great work!
Great video showcasing my favorite era in synthesis! Now i need to start using my k1200 more those k series racks are pretty much a virtual modular system
Cool video! I like the Mr Clean guitar. Also, the "17 Organ2" patch at 6:45 was made famous by several early 90's house/dance hits such as "Gypsy Woman" by Crystal Waters. 🤘
Thanks for mentioning that the Organ2 patch was used in those hits. It should be easy to program for the FM synths
@@offthematrix5310 Would love to hear your FM version of the famous M1 organ!!
The piano has been on thousands of dance and pop records to this day.
For me, the most convincing pianos would either be from Roland or Kurzweil. The M1 piano sounds a bit like a toy.
That M1 piano is legendary though, and it fits nice and snug in a mix
And you will still see the M1 on stage to this day
Latin bands use it all the time for its piano, sax and organ sounds
Most merengue bands use it for its piano combined with the hand clap, kick and whip sounds in combi mode
I don't see the other 2 on stage, as good as they are. I had the SY77 and loved it but technology replaced it
Thanks for your comment. I gave me an idea of who the audience is for M1 patches.
I worked in a music shop in the 80s and 90s. The M1 was very popular, Roland didn't make the D70 as a competitor to the M1. That was the Roland D20 that had 8 track sequencer and multi-tamberal with built in drum machine and effects. At the time, yamaha had the B200 and then the V50. Roland also had the W30 which was a sampler workstation.
The Roland D-70 is most usable nowadays from the mentioned synths, but unfortunately all D-70s break down, with the keys and buttons. The M-1 loses it on polyphony, piano and strings sounds and the lack of effect sends. The Yamaha loses it on its bad samples and that it doesn't have a combi mode where you can play more than one sound. The Kurzweil loses it on its too warm samples and that it doesn't have effects.
I was truly excited when the M1 came out, as it was such a different sound to what I had been used to (analogue!)
BUT - upon reflection, this seems to be a time when (synth based) music was incredibly bland! I have little interest in later 80's or early 90's digital, and it's only the mid 90's Nord and Korg digital synths that started to sound interesting.
For some reason, every synth manufacturer felt we needed trumpets and pick bass sounds!
Yeah, Trumpets, M1, even up to X3. Rino Horns all the way.
Korg MI was primarily known for its piano patch whereas the DX7 and D50 were known for an array of sounds
I believe at the time the M1 was favored on stage because of ease of use live. The other units might have been favored in the studio.
I love pads sounds
Hmm. Nowadays, people would be tempted to substitute VSTs or newer instruments. The Roland is easily substituted with good D50 VST emulations and many of the famous patches are carried over into their newest gear. The M1 also has excellent VST and iPad emulations. The Kurzwel doesn't have any VSTs, although the later Kurzweils, up through the newest K2700 share many older samples. And the Yamaha SY77 doesn't have a VST either, but SY/TG77s are fairly cheap. And the Montage/MODX have the same AWM/FM architecture.
On the song that you used, I think that the Kurzweil sounded best and the M1 worst, with the Roland and Yamaha in the middle. But most people use the D50 and M1 for specific 80's/90's sounds, so they won't care so much. If you want Digital Native Dance or Pizagogo, than you know what keyboard to use.
I thought the M1 sounded best and the Kurzweil worst, lol.
And you can build all these other synthesis architectures and sounds inside of the Kurzweil K2000 thanks to V.A.S.T.
Weren’t the M1’s pianos a lesser subset of the SG1D stage piano and/of the P3 piano module?
I don't know.
That makes sense if it is because most of the tech from the DSS-1 (Which was borrowed in the SG-1) led the way to developing the M1.
I'm not sure, but was that straight from the keyboards themselves, with all the drums inherent in them?
Drums on SY77 are completely different from SY99. That guy has to clarify his vid.
All the keyboards were played with the same drum track from the Korg M1. I mentioned that I considering using the QY700 for the drums but I liked the kit I set up on the M1 better.
I have a D70 and the M1 is far superior. The D70 is way better than people thinks, they problem is the keybed. Just a month ago one key got stuck and this is 2024 already. I have been trough four D70s already and the keybed is a nightmare, no only the glue but the cables are so delicate when opening. It feels that someone in upper management at Roland hated this keyboard.
D70 was a flawed competitor for M1, SY77 was expensive and had fm synthesis the others didn't have, and K1000 was interesting but had no filters and didn't have K250 countored modeling. D70 and K1000 also didn't have sequencers.
M1's secret weapon was combi mode. And I find it interesting the M1 drums are used here.
Combi mode: The Deep and Jarvis lives....
M1 is one of the greatest synth for digital pad sounds! M1 is not good in reproducing "real instruments" - but wonderful in making pads, atmos, cinema sounds...
Not really, the filter doesn't even have any resonance. I can build such a limited architecture inside of a Kurzweil K2000, and the K2000 will sound better. Then I can also use all sorts of resonant filters if I want to.
Asking if an instrument is overrated in a comparison with instruments that came out LATER is strange. When the M1 came out, it was a milestone. Also talking about the advantages of an unplayable Roland (because of bad building quality) is even funny. Instruments are like a wine. It is easy to find the bad ones. Everything else depends on individual taste and style.
The 1000PX was released at the same time as the M1. The M1 was in production from 1988 to 1995, so it was not strange to compare it to the D-70 and SY77 which came out in 1990. They were all available in music stores at the same time. The D-70 certainly did not have the red glue issue when it came out 30 years ago. Reliability is an other issue.
My Reface DX will blow all of these away. And there isnt a sanple in sight. Pure synthesis forever.
That's a very subjective opinion. I turned on my Kronos yesterday, it had a lot of glittery sounds but synth patches like bass didn't have the vintage quality that sits well in a mix.
And then came the Triton and surpassed everything for 2 decades.
Except the Trinity was better than the Triton.
@@r0tekz Only the V3 series with moss.. and it was better than all the Tritons except the Triton Extreme.
@@thejollyjoker187 I never mentioned Moss, and don't think that much of it anyway. Sold my Z1 soon after getting it. The core sound of Trinity is better than Triton, IMO, and I see many people say that.
@@r0tekz Trinity carried something from the 80s in its core sound. Triton carried something from the 90s. It's really a matter of sonic flavor, but I also see many people prefer the Trinity. Not only friends or clients, but also renowned musicians.
@@thejollyjoker187 80's, LOL. The 1995 Trinity DEFINED the 90's sound, particularly with Drum and Bass. I have never heard anyone else say it is an 80's sounding synth. And the 1999 Triton can hardly be called the sound of the 90's.
"... just the main sounds 'people' want in a 'synth'; piano, strings, synth brass, and bass." 1:37 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤨
Sy 77 sonido realista
That was interesting, the pianos sounded really dated. The SY did better than expected.
lol dated? Are you for real? These synths were made in the late 80s. They are not dated they are classics and producers are still using its world famous piano, for dance and pop music.
@@kennyzee3221 I should explain “dated”. When I am doing complex tracks the M1 is my go to synth. I can find just about any sound there but what I can hear the age in the sample depth and the sound can lack body. I use GarageBand and if you listen to the quality of say the GB Rhodes against anything on the M1 and you hear what I mean but in a complex mix I cannot do without the M1 or the Wavestation.
I still like the D70 piano. I knew several people who used it mainly for playing piano sounds, maybe also because it has 76 keys.
The M-1 is overrated because of its limited polyphony and that all sounds run through the same effects.
Welcome the T2ex: 3 of them, with MIDI overflow......
No resonant filter...
@@yashnu That is not what you buy an M1 for, but I can always route the output through the 16 phat filters of my modded DSM-1.
@@lovemadeinjapan I know what people bought it for: the presets and the workstation abilities. BTW, I route my Kurzweil K2500 oscs into the 8 NJM2069 VCF + VCA sections of my hacked DW-8000 via a custom interface too :)
KORG 01/W > M1.
Sorry to say but i hated the late 80´s era regarding synthesizers. So boring. And no model has stood the test of time.
Test of time. Which synth got something like that?
on the whole I sort of agree.. the problem was digital filters weren't quite happening and the sample based synths had very short samples... Pianos on these keyboards were always quite harsh in live situations... Hearing that M1 piano sample through a monitor could be torture... same with the EMu Proteus... I tended to try and make Rhodes-like sounds instead...
I quite liked the Wavestation though that was 1990. But on the whole they don't lend themselves to modern production... we're in an amazing time atm...